Lancaster wholesale bakery secures £250,000 funding

Abbie Dawson
· 21 August, 2018

A new wholesale bakery business has launched in Lancaster and has its sights set on a £1m turnover target.

Goodness Baked, which has been set up by baker Ian Stansfield and his wife Siona Mckimmie, will manufacture a range of artisan-style breads, pastries, cakes and snacks to be sold by retailers and hospitality businesses.

Besides the wholesale arm of the business, Goodness Baked will also provide bread for sandwich shops in the region, deliver hot and cold lunches to local workplaces, and have its own high street retail shop in Garstang.

Stansfield and Mckimmie have partially self-funded the venture, with additional support coming from Academy Leasing, which has funded equipment for the factory to the value of £250,000. The new kit includes ovens, mixers, rollers, a pastry braider, a proving cabinet and a walk-in freezer.

Stansfield has more than 25 years’ professional baking experience, and will act as managing director for the business. Mckimmie will take the role of commercial director. The pair said they were confident they could surpass their goal of turning over £1m by 2020.

Stansfield said: “It’s always been my dream to own my own baking business and I’m so thrilled that it’s all come together. We already have a number of exciting contracts in the pipeline, so I’m sure we can smash our target of £1m turnover.”

Having started as an apprentice at W H Oddie in Nelson, Stansfield spent five years there before becoming a shift manager at Jesse Oldfield in Trafford. Following that he was bakery manager at Morris of Coppull and then factory manager at Milligan’s in Newcastle. He then spent time working in other food industries before returning to bakery with a post at The Ultimate Food Company in Kendal which closed in January.